1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to two phases of water conservation and treatment. The first phase applies to processing and treatment of gray water--water used in all plumbing fixtures except toilets--to reclaim that water for use in flushing toilets, lavatories, baths and showers, clothes washers and similar items where clear, potable water is required. The second phase is to collect water from rain or snow-falls and treat such water to make it potable for human consumption. More particularly, the invention relates to a complete system for cleansing and purifying water that has been used and for purifying water collected from the atmosphere so that both the used and collected water can be repeatedly used for appropriate purposes.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Social concern for the manner in which all forms of private and public supplied water is provided to all users in an untreated or only partially treated condition has intensified in recent times as concern for the contamination and pollution of man's environment has deepened. It is common knowledge that acid rain developed by natural rain passing through man's generated smog has vastly contributed to water pollution. Moreover, the continuing loss of the earth's natural ability to aquify ground water and the continuing infiltration of sea water in some coastal areas contributes to this great social concern. Heavily populated areas are reaching the point at present that sufficient water cannot be supplied to meet the wanton usage and governmental agencies at all levels are unsuccessfully attempting to restrict such use. Civilization cannot exist without clean water. The health and welfare of our civilization in the immediate future is directly dependent on resorting to use of new technology such as is contained in this invention.
The problem of water contamination and pollution on the earth will continue as long as new complete technology to provide an economical system to allow individual entities to control the quality of the water they need is not available. Illustrative of efforts which have been made to attempt to provide limited resolution of the general application of water purification and reclamation needed are the systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,879 and 4,197,597 to Toms, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,789 to Roberts, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,218 to McCormick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,395 to Davis, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,279 to Selby, the 3rd, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,916 to Magson, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,442 to Knight, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,200,126 to Mitchell, in Japan Pat. No. 6,217,568, in German Pat. No. 3,147,124 and in British Pat. Ref. No. 3,319 may be mentioned. The Toms system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,879 and 4,197,597 constitutes the culmination of an effort extending over several years by Toms to use apparatus for reclaiming gray water and collecting rain water. In the most recent Patent issued to Toms the means for removal of solids from gray water and for positive filtration of such water appear to be decidedly lacking in the capability to process unlimited quantaties while still maintaining a strict standard of purity.
In Selby the 3rd U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,279, the mechanisms are theoretically similar to this invention but lack the capability to produce a potable product from the water sources specified in this invention.
All other Patents and references cited hereinabove claim to perform limited processing of either gray water or water collected from the atmosphere. In addition, the application of low PH water or other means to cause coagulation of detergents, greases and similar chemicals to insure that the gray water can be filtered to the maximum extent does not appear to be considered in any of the above references.
Finally, the referenced Patents cited above do not appear to consider ease of manufacture and installation. It is apparent that no complete system to extensively and thoroughly reclaim used water and collect atmospheric water and treat such water to be fully potable has been Patented to the present.